Fresh Fruit

These guys have just returned from their tembawang (see Tembawang) with a load of durian fruits (see Where'd all those durian trees come from?).  I'm a big fan of durian, and these are about as fresh and good as they get.

Field Assistant

This nice fellow, a Dayak from the Sanggau district of West Kalimantan, helped me with some forest inventories in the early 1990's.  He was great in the field. He knew his trees, picked up the inventory methodology very fast, and always had a big smile on his face.  He worked with us for about 10 days.  Never said a word. [NOTE: The tree in the background with the hacked-up trunk is Dipterocarpus (see Damar)].

No Hardhat, No Goggles, No Gloves, No Shoes

Village tree felling with a large Stihl chainsaw in the Kapuas Hulu district of West Kalimantan (see Danau Sentarum). Even bigger problems for local loggers? No gasoline. No kreteks. [NOTE: Stihl recommends this protective gear when operating their chain saws. Follow the links to the luminous yellow hard hats with built-in googles and face protector].

Roads

I usually have mixed feelings about building roads in tropical forests.  On one hand, they can allow local forest dwellers to get their products to market and provide a much-needed source of income.  On the other hand, they can allow a lot of new folks from outside to move into the area with decidedly negative effects on the local plants and animals.  Largely in response to the rich palette of soil colors, my first impression of this road in the Sanggau Regency of West Kalimantan was entirely positive.

Managed Landscapes

There's a lot going on in this image. At first glance, it's just a shot of a Dayak rice field in West Kalimantan.  But then there's the home garden with the bananas and fruit trees in the center of the shot, and the hill dipterocarp forests in the background that are loaded with tembawang (I know because I hiked up there). Every plant community is being managed in some way.  Agriculture, horticulture, forest management.  Truly a diverse portfolio. [NOTE: This is an old slide and it didn't scan so well.  Sorry].